Are You Ready to Evolve Your Project?

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Danielle

How many news articles or blog posts have you read this week? What if they weren’t edited? What if the project you’re currently working on didn’t evolve?

If I didn’t edit this post, the initial paragraph could have been:

You already took the first step and signed up for ^IfMine. You created a project and invited people to become Collaborators and Mentors. Now it’s time to Evolve your project.

Or…

I believe we were put on Earth to learn everything we can about life and evolve together. When you’re learning something new and making necessary changes to improve yourself, you are evolving.

I didn’t chose the first paragraph since the ^IfMine community is still growing and most users have yet to create their first project. The second paragraph was too much about life and not the point of this post.

What IS the point of this post? Change is good. Edits are necessary.

When it comes to project development, editing is crucial. A good idea cannot become great without project evolution. At ^IfMine, you can Evolve your projects like never before.

Click the Evolve button and you can revise your ^IfMine project. This is essential when your project has reached a new stage of development. You can add new files or project description and easily update your Followers, Mentors and Collaborators about your latest project breakthrough.

Each time you Evolve your project, a new version is created which gives you a fresh start. Don’t worry about losing your first draft, you can still view all previous versions and comments with each project evolution.

Give it a try! Sign up for ^IfMine and become part of our beta testing group. We’re evolving and you can be with us every step of the way.

Want up-to-date ^IfMine information? Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and circle us on Google Plus.

Photo Source: kevin dooley (Flickr)

How to Create a Successful Project & Gain Effective Feedback

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Danielle

Do you have a brilliant idea, but don’t know what to do with it?

What if you can share your idea with knowledgeable people a thousand miles away or simply across town? Imagine that idea progressing into a successful project with help from a team of Collaborators and Mentors.

It’s possible to gain effective feedback on your ideas without leaving home or your office. You can start today by joining ^IfMine’s growing community.

^IfMine is building a project-based network where you can socialize and develop relationships with your peers, as well as experts in a variety of fields.

Our community of ^IfMine users has the ability to share ideas and projects in an environment that encourages feedback.

You can begin by creating a new project on ^IfMine. You’ll name your project, add a synopsis and an image that best represents your idea.

You can chose to make your project public for all to see, restricted to only Collaborators and Mentors or completely private. Next, enter tags to describe your project.

Elaborate on your idea by composing a Detailed Project Description.

Before you hit the save button, Invite People to join your project. (You may skip this step and invite people at any time by editing your project.)

Invite People to become Mentors or Collaborators by entering their email addresses or ^IfMine usernames. Users must accept your invitation before they become your project’s Mentors or Collaborators. You may also create a group of people for quick access on future projects.

^IfMine makes it easy to edit your project, add additional photos or team members. Once you’re ready to Evolve your project, you can create a new Detailed Project Description and not worry about losing your followers, Collaborators or Mentors.

We’ll talk more about Mentors and Collaborators on Thursday and how projects Evolve next week. Until then, sign up for ^IfMine if you haven’t done so already.

Want up-to-date ^IfMine information? Follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook and circle us on Google Plus.

Photo source: Sudhamshu (Flickr)

*Post updated (11/7/12) due to website design changes.

The Evolution of Project Management: Feedback is the Natural Selection

Posted on September 27, 2012 by Danielle

Every educator knows the secret to success is failure. ^IfMine was designed with just that in mind: Iteration. “Fail Forward” is our motto.

^IfMine was created from the ground up by an educator and designer. We know how important it is take an idea or a project and Evolve It. Our application allows versioning of your project from the day you start, without losing your followers or having to create a new project.

Where other collaboration tools require a completely new shared document or a whole mess of emails getting back on the same page, ^IfMine uses the Follow mentality to keep your fans, Collaborators and Mentors up to speed with your latest Evolution.

With ^IfMine, project feedback has never been easier. Whether you’re looking to help someone or simply want to explore new and exciting ideas, we will connect you with the best projects and people our community has to offer.

^IfMine is looking at education and online learning with a keen interest. According to the Sloan Consortium, over 5.6 million people took online classes in 2009 and that number is growing. How did they manage their papers, projects and ideas? Likely, by passing around emails or using clunky discussion boards in outdated learning management systems.

Isn’t it time our students had the opportunity and functionality of their favorite social sites facilitating a better education? At ^IfMine, we believe so. We’re passionate about improving our services to make building successful projects easier for students everywhere.

Where is ^IfMine going? We’re a young company with a big vision and a small product. We’re flexible and able to grow the demands of our community. ^IfMine is poised to jump into mobile platforms, increase engagement through gamification and enhance our users ability to find the right mentor for them.

The ^IfMine Team has vision for the future. We want ^IfMine to be the place for people who make things happen.

About the Author: Anthony Fontana is the Lead UI+UX Designer and Art Director for ^IfMine. He’s also a Learning Technologist and an Instructor of Art at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

Visit ^IfMine to see what we have to offer and to sign up for our beta group.

Word cloud created using Tagxedo.com.